Another Volunteer
by suzie2b
Summary: Charley picks up a replacement courier in Benghazi.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Another Volunteer**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **The trip to Benghazi had been long. The convoy had been harassed by the Germans more than once along the way and if it hadn't been for the Rat Patrol, who had been assigned as escort, they probably wouldn't have made it. At least not in one piece.**

 **The convoy was carrying supplies, much needed ammunition, and Charley Pettigrew, who was to deliver updated documents and maps to Captain Thaddeus O'Connell. She slid out to the truck when it stopped at the supply depot to be unloaded and thanked her driver.**

 **At headquarters, Charley signed in and delivered the package to the captain. "Nice to see you're still around, Mrs. Pettigrew. We used to get Marcus delivering to us."**

 **Charley looked at him a little sadly. "Unfortunately, he was killed two weeks ago, sir."**

" **Yes, I was very sorry to hear that. He was a good man."**

" **Yes he was. I'm supposed to pick up his replacement while I'm here."**

 **Captain O'Connell nodded. "A volunteer courier arrived here yesterday with orders to report to Ras Tanera." He handed Charley a document that stated where she would be staying the night. "You and Private Pettigrew will be staying in our visitors quarters tonight … if Sergeant Troy approves."**

 **Charley smiled. "Thank you, sir. May I ask the name of the courier I'm picking up?"**

 **The captain shuffled through his paperwork, then said, "Miss Lisa Hall."**

" **A woman?"**

 **It was Captain O'Connell's turn to smile. "Yes. Looks like you may have a little competition."**

 **##############################**

 **The next morning, Charley and Tully were having breakfast in the mess hall with Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch. A pretty, young blonde walked up to their table and looked at the four men with a grin. "Which one of you is Charley Pettigrew?"**

 **Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully looked at Charley and she smiled. "That would be me."**

 **Her mouth fell open in surprise. "With a name like Charley, I wasn't expecting a woman." She stuck her hand out. "I'm Lisa Hall by the way."**

 **Charley shook the offered hand. "Well, you and the army think a lot alike. Welcome to North Africa, Miss Hall. Have you had breakfast?"**

" **Please, call me Lisa. I don't eat breakfast, ma'am. I had a cup of coffee though, and I'm ready when you are."**

" **Okay, Lisa. First, as I quickly learned, out here we never miss a meal if we can help it. You never know when you'll have a chance to eat again. Second, I'm a volunteer too, so don't call me ma'am. Charley will do."**

 **Lisa nodded. "I'll remember that, ma' … um, Charley."**

" **Now that we've gotten that straightened out, let me introduce you to our convoy's escorts." Charley pointed to each as she said, "Sergeants Sam Troy and Jack Moffitt, Privates Tully Pettigrew and Mark Hitchcock."**

" **Pleased to meet you all." Lisa looked from Tully to Charley. "Any relation?"**

 **Charley grinned. "You could say that. We're married."**

 **Lisa's eyes grew large as she said, "I was under the impression that we weren't even allowed to flirt out here."**

 **Tully chuckled. "Don't know where you got your information, but there's a lot more than just 'flirting' going on out here."**

 **Charley swatted him on the shoulder and said, "All right, I have to pick up a package at headquarters. Lisa, you come with me. You may as well start learning how things are done." She leaned over and gave Tully a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."**

 **##############################**

 **That evening, after they'd eaten with Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully, Charley stood up and said, "Lisa, let's get things cleaned up so the guys can stow the gear." The young woman gave her a blank stare. "When they cook, we clean."**

 **Lisa quickly stood up and started gathering plates and utensils. Charley showed her how to bury the food scraps and scrub the plates with sand while the water heated.**

 **While Charley washed and Lisa dried, the young blonde said, "Is it wise to use water for this?"**

 **Charley smiled. "How do you expect to get things clean?"**

" **Isn't it more important to have it for drinking in the desert?"**

" **If things aren't clean, people get sick. We just try to do it with as little water as possible."**

 **Lisa sighed. "So many things they didn't bother telling me before I got here. When can we shower?"**

 **Charley replied, "You'll get to shower when we get to Ras Tanura. Get used to not showering for days at a time depending on where you're going. We can share a little water to wash up with before we go to bed."**

" **What are the sleeping arrangements out here?"**

" **I normally sleep in the cab of the truck. Some will sleep in their trucks, others will sleep on the ground."**

 **Lisa nodded. "The cab sounds like the better choice. Hey, do you and Tully get to sleep together?"**

 **Charley chuckled. "If Sergeant Troy allows it. Doesn't always happen, but it's nice when it does." She glanced at Lisa. "How old are you?"**

" **I'm a few month shy of twenty. How 'bout you?"**

" **I'm twenty-two."**

 **##############################**

 **Morning came and there was a loud commotion a few trucks from where Charley and Tully were sleeping. They got up and hurried to see what was going on. As they got closer, Charley heard Lisa's somewhat hysterical voice.**

 **Charley and Tully pushed through the crowd that had gathered around Lisa, who was crying, and her driver … both naked and trying to get into their clothes.**

 **The leader of the convoy, Sergeant Taylor, was berating the soldier saying that he would be put on report for his actions. Charley stood next him with a shocked look and he said to her, "When I heard there going to be another female courier, I guess I thought she would be more like you!"**

 **Charley glowered at Lisa. "Sorry, sergeant, I'll take care of this." She grabbed the half-dressed woman and led her away. They stopped a few trucks away to allow her finish getting into her clothes. "What in the hell did you think you were doing?"**

 **Lisa sniffled as she pulled on her blouse. "But you said that you and Tully get to sleep together. I thought…"**

" **Oh for crying out loud, Lisa! Tully and I are married for one thing! And we never have sex when we're out here working!" Charley took a deep breath. "Did you at least use protection?"**

 **The look on Lisa's face was incredulous. "I didn't think I needed … not the first time."**

" **I don't believe this! You lost your virginity, didn't you?" Lisa looked down and nodded slightly. "I have a mind to send you home!" Charley grabbed her wrist and hauled her to the truck in front of the one she was riding in. She pulled the door open and said, "Get in." Lisa meekly crawled in. "Don't you dare even think about getting out of there until I tell you to." Charley slammed the door and turned to the driver. "Keep your eyes on her. She is not to get out of that vehicle." After the private nodded, Charley walked away.**

 **Tully found Charley five minutes later behind the last truck in the line. She was stomping and kicking sand around, cursing to herself, in an effort to blow off steam. Tully asked quietly, "You okay?"**

 **Charley stopped, closed her eyes, and counted to ten. "I'm fine." She sighed. "She's not here but a few days and she loses her virginity in the cab of a truck in the middle of the desert." She threw her arms up in frustration. "And on top of that they didn't use protection!"**

 **Tully put his arms around her in a hug. "What are you going to do?"**

" **I don't have any options. I'm going to have to report this to Captain Boggs."**

 **Just then Moffitt drove up in the jeep. He started to get into the passenger seat as he said, "Sergeant Taylor wants to get going, Tully. Hop in Charley. We'll give you a ride to your truck."**

 **##############################**

 **At noon the convoy stopped for a break. Charley climbed out of the truck and went to the next one in line. She pulled open the door and looked up at Lisa. "Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?"**

 **Lisa didn't look at Charley as she quietly said, "Yes."**

" **Okay, get out and stretch your legs. Just don't go far." Charley handed her a box of K-rations she had stashed in her satchel. "Eat something."**

 **Lisa took the box and looked at Charley. "I'm sorry."**

" **I don't want to talk about it right now."**

 **Charley walked away. She was still keyed up and needed to move around. She walked to the end of the convoy, then started back when she spotted the jeep coming towards the convoy at a high rate of speed. In the distance she saw the tell-tale dust, smoke, and sounds of a skirmish. Charley started running. She had to find Lisa and get them both in their trucks.**

 **Tully rolled up to the front of the convoy and Moffitt yelled to Sergeant Taylor, "Get these trucks moving!"**

 **Immediately, the radio came alive with the order to "mount up."**

 **Charley could see that the battle was quickly getting closer and engines were starting as she ran past the trucks. She got to her truck and looked around for Lisa and didn't see her. Charley ran to the truck in front of them and jumped on the running board as it started moving and called to the driver, "Where's Lisa?"**

 **The driver called back, "Haven't seen her since you let her out! You need to get down or get in!"**

 **Charley hopped down and looked around frantically for the young blonde. Her driver pulled up next to her and yelled at her to get in and she yelled back, "I have to find Lisa!"**

 **As trucks began to pass by, Tully pulled up and hollered over the rising din of battle, "What are you doing? Get yourself in that truck!"**

" **Lisa's missing!"**

 **Moffitt yelled, "Get in the truck! We'll find her!"**

 **Charley grabbed the door handle and started to climb in as Hitch sped between two trucks followed by a German halftrack with bullets flying from both. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lisa and turned to see her on her knees with her arms over her head. Charley pointed as she leapt down. "There she is!"**

 **Tully grabbed her as he jumped out of the jeep. He picked her up and put her in truck's cab as bullets started ricocheting off the side of the truck and yelled at the driver, "Go! Go!"**

 **Tully quickly got back into the jeep and headed for Lisa. While Moffitt laid down cover fire, the private got the scared and confused young woman into the passenger seat. He caught up with the last truck and Moffitt signaled it to stop. Tully grabbed Lisa and all but threw her into the cab. He felt the bullet hit as he scrambled into the jeep and sped away.**

 **Thanks to the Rat Patrol the convoy got away with the loss of only one truck and that driver was picked up with only minor injuries. The convoy didn't stop again until it was nearly dark.**

 **Charley immediately ran back and found the truck with Lisa in it. She flung open the door and hauled the blonde out. "What were you thinking? I told you…" Charley stopped her scolding when she saw the tears running down Lisa's face. "Oh for…" She pulled the other woman into a hug. "Are you all right?"**

 **Lisa nodded against Charley's shoulder. "I'm sorry."**

 **Charley saw Troy walking towards them and he didn't look happy. He looked at Charley and said, "What the hell happened back there?"**

" **Sorry, Sam. Lisa wandered a little too far from her truck and couldn't get back…"**

 **Lisa straightened up and took a step back as Troy said angrily, "Sorry doesn't cut it this time. Because of her Tully took a bullet."**

 **Color drained from Charley's face. "Take me to him."**

 **Troy glowered at Lisa as he took Charley's hand and led her away.**

 **They found Tully sitting on the ground with Moffitt on his knees cleaning the wounds in Tully's right shoulder while Hitch held a flashlight.**

 **Charley got down next to them. "How bad is it? And if anyone says 'it's just a nick' I'm gonna smack 'em."**

 **Tully smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Looks worse than it is."**

 **Moffitt explained, "The bullet went straight through. Won't know for sure if his shoulder is actually broken until we get back to the base hospital. It's not too serious, but he'll be laid up for a while."**

 **Charley gave a relieved sigh. "I am so sorry about this."**

 **Tully looked at her and gritted her teeth. "It's not your fault."**

" **I should've kept a closer eye on Lisa. I was still a bit upset about this morning and went for a walk. I really didn't think she'd wander off like that."**

 **Hitch asked, "Is Lisa really going to be a courier out of Ras Tanura?"**

 **Charley nodded. "That was the idea anyway."**

 **Troy huffed, still angry that one of his men was injured because of the blonde, "She's got a lot to learn."**

 **##############################**

 **Back at base, Charley saw to it that Tully was being taken care of at the hospital before she took Lisa to headquarters. She signed in and headed up to Captain Boggs' office to deliver the package she'd carried back from Benghazi.**

 **In the captain's office Charley handed the sealed envelope to Boggs and said, "Sir, this is Lisa Hall. She's the volunteer courier here to take over Marcus' duties."**

 **Captain Boggs smiled. "Welcome Miss Hall."**

 **Lisa managed a smile. "Thank you, captain. I'll do my best."**

 **He looked from Lisa to Charley, noticing a certain tension. "Would you mind waiting outside, Miss Hall? I'd like to talk to Charley for a minute."**

" **Not at all, sir."**

 **After the door clicked shut, Captain Boggs looked at Charley. "All right. Out with it. What's wrong?"**

 **Charley replied, "Nothing that training won't fix, sir."**

" **I've known you long enough to know when something's wrong. What happened on the way back from Benghazi?"**

" **You'll have my report…"**

 **The captain interrupted, "I know I'll have your report by tomorrow noon. I want to know now what's going on."**

 **Charley sighed. "I'm not sure I can recommend Miss Hall as an active courier, sir. She's only nineteen, doesn't listen and doesn't consider the consequences of her actions." She gave the captain a quick rundown of what happened.**

 **Captain Boggs listened patiently until Charley got to the part about Lisa and her driver being caught in a very compromising position. Then he frowned through the rest of the story. "I see. Well, I don't want you to waste your time training Miss Hall if we're going to have to send her home soon. Get her set up with quarters and tell her to be in my office tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock. I'll have read your full report by then."**

 **##############################**

 **Five and a half weeks later there was a knock on the apartment door. Tully opened it and was surprised to see Lisa standing there. "Is Charley here?"**

 **Tully said, "She's down hall. Come on in. She'll be right back."**

 **Lisa stepped inside and asked, "How's your shoulder?"**

" **Pretty much healed up. I'll be going back to work next week."**

 **Lisa smiled slightly. "That's good to hear."**

 **Charley opened the door and walked in. She smiled and said as she closed the door, "Well, Lisa, to what do we owe this visit."**

" **I just wanted to talk to you before I leave."**

 **They looked at Tully, who quickly took the hint and said, "I'll leave you two to talk then."**

 **After he left, Charley and Lisa sat down at the table. "So you're leaving?"**

 **Lisa nodded. "I found out I'm pregnant. But that's not the only reason I'm leaving."**

 **Charley folded her hands on the table. "Oh, what other reason could there be?"**

" **I'm just not cut out to be here."**

" **I'm glad you've come to realize that."**

 **Lisa sighed. "You're brave and know how to handle yourself out here. I thought I could do it … but…"**

 **Charley smiled a little. "Not everyone can handle it. It can be especially hard on women … no matter what job they do. But even the soldiers have a hard time with it sometimes. I grew up military and learned a lot before I even joined the volunteer services."**

 **Lisa smiled. "Thank you. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you tried to teach me. I have some growing up to do … and a baby to think about."**

" **Have you contacted your family yet?"**

" **Yes, Captain Boggs was nice enough to let me make a private call from his office."**

 **Charley asked, "What about the baby's father?"**

 **Lisa shrugged. "Not going to worry about it. I'm not going to hunt him down and make demands. My mom and dad say they'll do everything they can to help me." She stood up. "Well, I have to go pack. I'm leaving tomorrow."**

 **They started out the door together and Charley said, "Good luck with your future, Lisa."**

 **Tully was sitting outside on the top of the stairs and stood when the two women appeared at the door.**

 **As Lisa started down the stairs, Charley said, "Take care of yourself."**

 **The young blonde looked back. "I will, Charley. You do the same."**

 **Charley and Tully watched her go, then sat side-by-side on the steps. After a minute, Tully asked, "Is she pregnant?"**

 **Charley sighed. "Yep."**

" **It's a shame. She so young."**

" **Well, she seems to have realized the error of her ways and admits she's not cut out to be in North Africa. I think she's matured a little since she got here."**

 **Tully put his arm around her and pulled her close. "So, you think she'll be okay?"**

 **Charley put her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I think so. It sounds like she has a good family to take care her and the baby."**

 **Tully kissed the top of her head. "How 'bout some lunch?"**

 **Charley smiled. She had a feeling she knew where this was going and looked at him. "I could eat."**

 **Tully grinned and kissed her longingly. "I wasn't talking about food."**


End file.
